from James Bradshaw of the Globe and Mail,

The Hockey Night crew gathers for the two teams’ morning skates, most still in jeans, clutching cups of coffee. They huddle in groups with scouts, coaches and assorted team brass. It is a time to pick up tidbits of information and feel out the tone for the game to come.

Up in the seats, Hockey Night play-by-play man Jim Hughson sits for a lengthy chat with Leafs general manager Dave Nonis. Before long, team president Brendan Shanahan joins in.

“It’s like a hockey fraternity,” says Glenn Healy, the former Leafs and New York Rangers goalie turned broadcaster, who will provide colour commentary from between the benches.

Ultimately, the broadcasters are hunting for the storylines that make one game feel different from every other. Toronto’s top line has struggled lately (a recurring theme); the Canucks have five Ontario-raised players returning to play in front of family and friends (defenceman Chris Tanev bought 30 tickets); Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller has a habit of dominating the Leafs.

The rink also needs to be primed. Rogers banked on technology to provide new angles on the game, and on this night, 29 cameras will track the action (TSN’s Grey Cup coverage had 33). Eight are robotic, including small, spherical cameras known as “cue balls” wedged into cutouts in the boards, or near the players’ knees on the bench.

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